Where In the World is FF?

by Austin on Aug, 29 2010 in Money

Thanks for putting up with FF during this mysterious absence. As some of you know, I visited America for 2 weeks earlier this month and expected to come back and pick up right where FF left off.

Unfortunately for this site’s fanatics, I came back with some summertime laziness that has left me with little desire to sit down and pound out a money post. As my 2nd school year is set to start Wednesday, I’ve been reconsidering what I want out of this site.

Do I want to keep writing? Do I still have a desire to research and create posts regularly for readers? These are some questions I still can’t answer.

So as much as I’d like to give you concrete details, I can’t. I’m enjoying my time off school and can’t give any one a concrete date that posts will start appearing again (if at all).

Thanks for sticking with me throughout the year and maybe I’ll see you sooner than later.

-Austin

Photo: Horia Valran

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My Favorite Posts from the Last Year of FF

by Austin on Aug, 18 2010 in Money

I’m golfing in America so let’s take a look back at my personal favorite posts from the past year.

Renting 101: What You Should Know Before You Sign – It’s something almost every one will have to do in their lives, but we don’t know a lot about. This post helps you get ready to move out on your own for the first time.

The 5 Books That Changed My Money Life – Behind every financially literate citizen are some money books that kicked them in to gear. Here are my favorites and one’s I suggest to everyone in my life.

How to Make Your Own Affordable Olive Garden Dish – Corinne found this recipe and allowed me to write about it. If you’re a fan of the OG, then this post is like Christmas morning for you.

How I Saved $65 With a 5 Minute Phone Call – If you’re going to be staying in a hotel soon and want to save a large percentage of a night’s cost with 1 phone call, then please read this post.

Credit Card Debt Facts that Will Scare You Into Staying Out of Debt for Life – You can’t be successful with your money and carry credit card debt. This post explains why and shows you some numbers that will shock your wallet.

Photo: TedsBlog

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Catching Up on Japan Posts

by Austin on Aug, 16 2010 in Japan

I’m currently celebrating everything America, but Japan’s played a huge role in my life over the past year. Here’s some of FF’s best posts about Japan.

Do I Send Money Home? Dealing with Exchange Rates – It’s a complicated topic with differing opinions, but this post helps bring some clarity to exchange rates and hopes to make the most out of your money when you send money overseas.

Comparing Grocery Prices in Japan to America – One of my most commented posts (some due to my poor math skills, but now fixed!) An inside look at the differing prices between common products and how inflated some of the Japanese prices are for certain western style foods.

Cost of the iPhone 3G in Rural Japan – Corinne bought an iPhone and I do my best to decipher the complex contract to see how it compares to buying one in America.

Buying a Car in Japan: Our Story – The single best purchase of my time here in Japan. Everything about the process including research, negotiations, and aftermath.

Daily Life of an Assistant Language Teacher in Japan – A rough idea of my job and what you could expect teaching English in a Japanese public school.

Photo: Tiseb

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Catching Up on Posts for College Students

by Austin on Aug, 13 2010 in College

Since I’m on vacation and school’s around the corner, here are some of the most popular FF posts geared towards college students.

How Much Extra Should You Pay on Student Loans? – The loan process is more difficult than college itself. This post helps bring some clarity to your student loans to help decide which loans are the priority and which can be left until later.

The Entrepreneur Test: How Well Do You Score? – I graduated, but the whole college thing never really clicked for me. Maybe you feel the same way and it could mean you’re an entrepreneur at heart. This post asks you some self-reflective questions which could shed some light on your post-college future.

3 Steps for Outrageous Savings in College – There are a lot of little things to cut spending on in college, but these 3 categories are guaranteed to bring huge savings to your wallet in the fall.

Paid to Travel the World and Other Reasons Teaching English Abroad Has Taken Off – More and more people are heading abroad after college and this post helps explain why this is turning in to such a popular post-collegiate stop for twenty-somethings.

The Extensive Guide to Starting a Textbook Side Hustle in College –  Everything you need to know about the process including marketing, organization, and shipping hacks. We made almost $5,000 in a little over a year and this was the single most educational experience I had in college.

Photo: California Cthulhu

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An Introduction to Asset Allocation

by Austin on Aug, 11 2010 in Guest Posts, Investing

This is a guest post from Jarrad – the editor of the Kyoto JET blog, Ganbatte Times. Jarrad got started with his finances about a year ago and agreed to share his thoughts about asset allocation for the FF readers. This post is a little advanced, but introduces some financial information that you’ll start thinking about as you your cash reserves grow.

Asset allocation is perhaps the single most important investment decision that you will need to make. Fortunately, you only need to make the decision once and then ride it out for the next 30+ years. In fact, changing your asset allocation is far more likely to be harmful than helpful.

So, why is asset allocation important? Generally, when you increase your risk, you also increase your potential for return. That is, if you want to make a higher return, you have to take greater risks. However, if done right, proper asset allocation can achieve both greater return and reduced risk.

When I initially started investing, deciding on my asset allocation was by far the most challenging decision I had to make. In its simplest form, it consists of simply making the decision about how many of your investment dollars will go to bonds and how many to stocks. However, the advice on even that relatively simple decision varies greatly.
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The FF Podcast Ep. 9: Beginning Investing with Adam from Magical Penny

by Austin on Aug, 08 2010 in Investing, Podcast

On this week’s episode of The Foreigner’s Finances Podcast I talk with one of the few British personal finance bloggers, Adam from MagicalPenny.com.

Adam’s been writing about money for about 6 months. During the podcast we talked about investing as a 20-somethings and the differences between money in the U.S. and the UK.

You can subscribe to the podcast’s RSS feed or download and subscribe on iTunes to get every episode delivered to you.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Home for the (Summer) Holiday

by Austin on Aug, 04 2010 in Money

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I’m headed back to Chicago for a little R&R from August 4-17.

When this post goes live, I’ll be somewhere over Alaska playing Tetris on my headset TV device.

I have some some review posts, a guest post, and a podcast already scheduled for the 2 weeks so enjoy those and just know I won’t be responding to comments or e-mails as those will interfere with my hot dog eating and golfing.

Have a good couple weeks and FF will be back in full swing with the normal Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday schedule a couple days after the 17th.

Photo: laffy4k

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How to Get Your Credit Report

by Austin on Aug, 02 2010 in Credit Cards, Debt, Money

In January I wrote about the specifics of your credit score. Quickly, your credit score is a number between 300 and 850 that tells lenders how trustworthy you are for a loan. The better your credit is, the higher the score. Credit scores cost around $15 to get.

Your credit score is based off your credit report. It’s a huge report card that shows any loans, credit cards, or mortgages you’ve had and how trusty you were with the loan – aka did you pay the loan.

Legally, you’re allowed to get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three main credit bureaus - Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax – once a year. This means you can get them all at one time, or you can spread them out over the course of a year.

Today, I’m going to show you the process as I check my credit report so you can feel comfortable getting your own report. On Wednesday, I’ll do the same for my credit score.
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